Distinguished both among his own Countrymen and Foreigners For skill and courage; To whom, Of those things which lead to the summit of glory, Nothing was wanting but opportunity: His ancestors, whose virtues he inherited, He honoured by his deeds. Quick in apprehending his orders, Active and bold in the execution of them; In success modest, In adverse circumstances firm, In doubtful enterprises, wise and prudent. Awhile successful in his career; At length assailed by adverse winds, and on an hostile shore, He was captured; And being soon after brought to Paris, Was confined in the prison called the Temple, _Infamous for midnight murders_, And placed in the most rigid custody: But in bonds, And suffering severities still more oppressive, His fortitude of mind and fidelity to his country Remained unshaken. A short time after, He was found in the morning with his throat cut. And dead in his bed: He died the 28th October, 1805, aged 36. To be lamented by his Country, Avenged by his God! THE DONJON, OR CASTLE OF VINCENNES. This ancient fortress is situate at the entrance of the forest of Vincennes, (now reduced to a wood of small trees, the large timber having been cut down during the revolution) and surrounded by a deep ditch of great width, about two miles from the Barrière du Trône. During many ages, it had been the casual residence of the sovereigns of France. Philip de Valois added considerably to its dimensions in 1337. John continued the works, and during his captivity in England, Charles his son, then regent of the kingdom, finished it. During the reign of Charles VII. in 1422, Henry VI. of England died in this castle. From this time Vincennes became a royal residence, until the reign of Louis XIV. when that monarch fixed himself at Versailles, from which period it has never been used but as a prison[13]. [Footnote 13: Monstrelet relates a curious anecdote, during the residence at the Castle of Vincennes of Isabeau de Bavière, strongly illustrative of the barbarous manners of those times. "Lewis de Bourbon, who was handsome and well made, and had signalized himself upon various occasions, and amongst others at the battle of Agincourt, going one night, as was customary, to visit the Queen, Isabeau de Bavière, at the Castle of Vincennes, met the King (Charles VI.); he saluted him, without either stopping or alighting from his horse, but continued galloping on. The King having recollected him, ordered Tangui du Chatel, prévost of Paris, to pursue, and to confine him in prison. At night the _question_ was applied, and he was afterwards tied up in a sack and cast into the Seine, with this inscription upon the sack, 'Let the King's justice take place.'"]